Warren Finds ICE Victim Not Protesting; Policy Implications Remain Unaddressed
Senator Elizabeth Warren, as reported by The Hill, stated there was “no indication” the woman shot by an ICE operative was a "protester." This pivotal detail, of course, entirely sidesteps the fact that an ICE agent shot an unarmed individual during an operation, a detail that might be considered central to a discussion of government accountability. (One wonders if the 'no indication' comes from a
certified protest enrollment form.) The media's framing shifts focus from the systemic issues of a militarized immigration enforcement agency to the victim's perceived political alignment. It's a classic move: human rights violations become about the victim's 'worth' rather than the perpetrator's overreach. Is the point that shooting someone is only bad if they're holding a sign? Or perhaps, that
if one isn't officially protesting, one is simply collateral damage in the apparatus of state violence?